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Residents offered say on historic building

By Alana Melanson, amelanson@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
10/24/2012 12:45:01 PM EDT

FITCHBURG -- What does the future hold for City Hall?

After Tuesday's open house, which gave residents a chance to voice their opinions, it seems the general consensus is to save the historic facade and redo the rest of the building, with possibly an entire interior gutting, according to Mayor Lisa Wong.

"I think there seems to be a general consensus, which is good, because the hard work is really ahead," Wong said. "The hard work is really implementing a vision."

Residents young and old came to see City Hall one last time before it's closed to the public while a long-term plan is formulated for the building, which is plagued by a failed roof truss and a number of other structural deficiencies.

Fitchburg State University Student Government Association President Matthew Costello and the SGA activism committee toured the building as part of their goal to have more university-community interaction.

"I think most of us have been to some meetings here, but we have never seen the whole building before," Costello said as he and fellow students were led on a tour by Wong.

Some attendees were set on keeping the building as City Hall, while others believed it would be better off redeveloped for something else.

Wong suggested a rehabilitation of the building could make a portion of it for city offices, while another portion could be turned into community space that would be available for residents to use on nights and weekends.

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Bill Lorigan, a resident since 1986, said he wants to see the building rehabilitated into a new City Hall. He believes that if City Hall is moved elsewhere permanently and the building is just boarded up, it would be bad for downtown businesses.

"We'd just abandoning Main Street yet again," he said.

Lorigan said the top priority should be securing the current building so that it doesn't fall into further disrepair through vandalism or weather damage.

"I believe with today's technology, and a wise architect, we should be able to reuse this building without a problem," Lorigan said. "And I don't think it's going to cost anywhere near what some people think it's going to cost."

"I would like to see it be done over, and repaired, but for it to be abandoned as City Hall? That would be terrible," said Lionel Reinford, a local artist and former Spanish teacher at B.F. Brown Middle School and Fitchburg High School. "They should never tear it down."

Reinford, who has lived in the city since 1998, originally came from Honduras "to get a part of the American dream." He said Fitchburg has provided countless positive experiences for him. He has painted many images throughout the city, including some wall murals he is painting at the Fitchburg Police Department -- some of which were on display in the Veterans Memorial Room Tuesday night.

Artist Camilo Neves also had paintings on display. He came to Fitchburg with his family about 23 years ago from Uruguay, and became involved in the community with his public murals and working with students at Longsjo Middle School in the 21st Century after-school program.

While he is open to City Hall remaining a place for city offices, he'd like to see the building redeveloped into a space for art and music classes, artist studios, and maybe even a dance hall and little boutiques and stores.

"I'd like to see people active and fully engaged together in one building," Neves said. "I believe community artists are bringing a lot to the community. Cultural art is very important to any community in any part of the world, but I think Fitchburg has yet to fully bring it into the light."

He believes City Hall should be used as an example for other city-owned buildings that haven't been properly maintained.

"I don't want to see this building go to waste," Neves said.

Former City Councilor Kevin Starr, 39, who came to see the building with his wife and daughter, said he believes the building should be gutted and turned into a large hall or venue, potentially a club or even a brewery.

"I think the possibilities are endless, and it's going to start with courageous investors looking for ideas," he said.

Starr said he understands that some people, looking at cost alone, would be for demolishing City Hall, but he can't stand the thought of losing such a historical building.

"If it can be redeveloped into something else, I would like to see it. But is it functional for a 21st-century City Hall? Absolutely not," he said.

Mary Lou Montalvo, director of empowerment services at the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center and a member of the City Hall subcommittee, the group that is tasked with determining the plans for the building, said she saw the open house as a great opportunity to gather ideas from a diverse population.

"I think we should energize the building, and energize the city," she said.

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